Summary: In today’s podcast episode, Lee Wochner from Counterintuity and Stephen Halasnik from Financing Solutions discusses the importance of brand positioning for nonprofit organizations. These solutions are helping nonprofits gain recognition and support from the clients and communities they serve.
Summary
Branding for Nonprofits
The first step in developing a brand for a nonprofit is to define its brand identity. Nonprofits should be able to quickly communicate who they are and what they do to the people they serve. Lack of communication forces customers to invest time into figuring your organization out for themselves, which in 2021 is not ideal for our newfound desire for immediate takeaways. Organizations should adapt their branding efforts to match the culture of the communities they serve.
Brand identities are not always set in stone. If a nonprofit is able to identify new opportunities for expansion and growth, it may be time to reevaluate the organization’s brand positioning. A large part of branding for nonprofits includes communicating in the ways your organization will impact the community surrounding it. Nonprofits that make their mission, values, and efforts transparent to the public see more participation and support from their local communities.
Developing a Branding Strategy
Branding for nonprofits should include marketing strategies in addition to a strategy that presents what your organization stands for and the culture surrounding the organization. Nonprofits benefit from showcasing their core values on one or more of the platforms they use. This can serve as a reference for nonprofit leaders when considering bringing in new employees. Displaying core values also makes potential employees aware of the culture of the organization, making it easier for them to decide whether to reach out to your organization.
Organizations of any size benefit from developing or adjusting their branding strategy. Organizations that have already developed a legacy within their brand identity often fall short when it comes to documenting and conducting time-consuming investigatory work concerning their identity. Companies like Counterintuity, LLC help nonprofit organizations conduct investigatory work concerning their brand identities in an engaging, uplifting manner in hopes to bring employees and nonprofit leaders to a consensus regarding their brand. The investigative process aims to empower everyone within the organization to see their own efforts and the individual impact they leave on the organization.
Brand Positioning and Consumer Impact
Another aspect of developing a branding strategy for nonprofits includes evaluating the consumer impact. Questions that nonprofit leaders should ask when appealing to consumers include “Why do people come here?”, “What do we do for them?”, and “What is their takeaway from our efforts?” These questions are used to help nonprofits create a more desirable experience for consumers that interact with the organization. The goal of positioning your branding efforts around the consumer is to help them understand your organization and garner their support.
Once nonprofits identify the needs of their consumers, the next step requires the nonprofit to adjust its branding strategy. Adjusting the strategy in a way that benefits consumers builds attachment to your nonprofit. Adjusting your organization’s story and branding strategy increases customer retention and loyalty to your organization. The essence of marketing and branding involves communicating the meaning of your organization with others. Nonprofit leaders should consistently be looking for opportunities to improve their customer experience and foster support for their organization.
About Lee Wochner from Counterintuity, LLC
With more than 25 years of organizational consulting both independently and with Counterintuity for non-profits and government agencies, Lee Wochner is highly regarded as a strategic leader, marketer, and facilitator able to help people grow and change. He holds a BA in literature and language from Stockton University and a master’s in professional writing from the University of Southern California, where he taught graduate writing for 10 years. A frequent guest speaker, he is recognized by the State of California as a “California Thinker.”
About The Host Stephen Halasnik, Financing Solutions
Stephen Halasnik is the host of the popular, The Nonprofit MBA Podcast. The Nonprofit MBA podcast’s purpose is to help nonprofit leaders. Stephen is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Financing Solutions, a leading provider of loans for nonprofits in the form of Lines of Credit to nonprofits. Stephen is a best-selling Amazon author and is considered a leading authority on building great, purpose-driven businesses. Stephen lives in New Jersey with his wife, Gina. Mr. Halasnik’s number one purpose is raising his two boys, Michael and Maxwell, to be good men.
10% of profits from Financing Solutions is donated to charity.